The Tennessee General Assembly passed a law on Wednesday to ban critical race theory from being taught in public schools.
The law forbids state schools from teaching that the U.S. is a fundamentally racist nation, that a person is inherently privileged or oppressed because of their race, or that an entire race bears responsibility for past actions against people of another race. Critical race theory asserts, among other things, that U.S. institutions are racist by definition. The prohibition would be enforced by withholding funding from schools that engage in critical race theory indoctrination.
“Critical Race Theory teaches that American democracy is a lie. It teaches that the rule of law does not exist & is instead a series of power struggles among racial groups,” State Senator Brian Kelsey, a Republican, wrote on Twitter following the vote. “It is harmful to our students & is antithetical to everything we stand for as Americans & as Tennesseans.”
Governor Bill Lee’s office told Fox13 that he intends to sign the bill when it reaches his desk.
While it is unclear if critical race theory is taught in Tennessee schools, Kelsey cited the New York Times‘s “1619 Project” as an example of curricula guided by critical race theory. The lead 1619 project essay falsely asserted that the American revolution was driven by a desire to preserve slavery and the project was used to develop a curriculum that has been adopted by a number of school districts.
State Senator Brenda Gilmore, a Democrat, objected to the passage of the legislation.
“Contrary to what some people may think, being an African American, I do not cast blame, but I think we do have to admit that slavery did occur,” Gilmore said. “We have to acknowledge the wrongs of our society even when it’s a difficult conversation to have. And as a result of slavery, in 2021, racism still does exist.”
Similar legislation is pending in several states, including Texas, while Idaho governor Brad Little signed a law last week prohibiting critical race theory instruction in schools.
“The claim that there is widespread, systemic indoctrination occurring in Idaho classrooms is a serious allegation,” Little said after signing the bill. “Most worryingly, it undermines popular support for public education in Idaho.”
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Of course the United States is a racist nation! Black activists have seen to that.
Black people hate all white people – because they’re white! That’s the definition of racism!
You can always recognize a racist. They’re the ones calling everybody else racists.
So who are the real racists here? Think, people! THINK!!
Critical race theory is nothing more than another way for leftists to divide this nation. Just say NO!!! Kuddos to Tennessee. I hope more states follow their lead.
My family came to the USA as a result of oppression in WWI. We have never been racist nor participated in anything racist, unless you want to call the US military racist. I do not think black people realize how many of us white people were not here during the 19th century when the civil war occurred, nor did we have anything to do with slavery or their ancestors. And when we came in the 20th century we worked shit jobs for decades. We viewed education as the way out of poverty, not demonstration. Most of us do not know what the inside of a jail looks like because we were obedient and upheld laws and civility, not because we were privileged or favored by the system – unless you call scrubbing toilets and washing soiled linens in a hotel an elitist white privilege job. We had no welfare, unemployment insurance, or social security back then. We only had access to food lines for watered down soup – and there were many white and black people in those lines. Poverty, starvation, and survival quickly eliminates racism! I am happy to have the slavery conversation and discuss how the system was unfair to blacks back then – as long as we also include in the conversation how much progress has been made to reform the system and incorporate black since then till now, and, how we poor white immigrants were excluded from the system as well. Yet we poor whites never took anything from the system or blamed the system; we just looked for another toilet to scrub and read books to self teach ourselves to prepare ourselves for better jobs. I am proud to be an American. I am proud of my father who won the Distinguished Flying Cross in WWII seven times as a navigator/bombardier in the US Army Mighty 8th Airforce. I am proud to be a Vietnam War Era veteran of our elite submarine force. And most of all, I am proud to have done three degrees at night and online, and to be the first Master’s Degree in a long line of toilet scrubbers!
Fantastic Post! Thank you!
Beautifully stated. Well done you!
Ms Gilmore, Racism still exists today because YOUR entire political party has stayed in power by using BLACKS as the modern day equivalent of slaves. So long as they keep voting people like you back into power, you keep promising them the lazy life, that and any time they get upset, you promise to permit them the right to be violent inhuman monsters instead of rational thinking beings who are not controlled by their base emotions.
Without people like you, Blacks everywhere would be encouraged, and in fact required, to excel in life and to succeed based on their own merits. And THAT, is nothing but a positive thing, to see Excellence in all walks of life for Blacks. It is a goal that every race should strive for, Excellence in all walks of life!
The primary racist IS in the White House. He continually calls Americans “White Supremacists”. Obviously, he has no conception that is a racist statement and the chant “No lives matter til black lives matter” is also racist, as racist as reversing that chant would be.
Way to go, Tennessee! Anything dealing with Marxism like this critical race theory Crap is Anti-American!
Love the governor of Tennessee. Thanks for standing up to the racist mob BLM, the democrat party, and all the other wackos that are determined to destroy our country. Our Florida governor and the Tennessee governor are among a few governors who are looking out for the people in their states. If you live here – or Tennessee – and do not like what the governors are doing, just remember there are 48 other states you can transplant your butt into – and good riddance.
Thank you TLC My folks came to America through Ellis Island and I was born here early enough to see the many changes through out the 20th century. Though struggles learning a new language and the jobs offered to them were the lowest of lowest but that did not matter as they were free to achieve in what they believed. My first start in school must have amazed my teacher since I knew not one word in English. Yet I was out of high school and in the service during WW2. I was taught not to be afraid of work of any kind and work of any kind I did. There was no kind of person that I was taught to feel above and my shipmate during WW2 was black and we entered the service going to boot camp and being discharged together after the war was over. From the great depression, the dust bowl, and casting my votes beginning with President Truman. I voted for winners and Losers; but the country was more or less balanced in the political area. If today’s politicians could have or would have experiences that many of those who have gone through the type of work that many of us deplorables have done without being sorry for ourselves they would not consider the Constitution and the Bill of Rights just to be pieces of paper with words written on them. Does their oath of office mean anything to them ?